


Thank You For Your Childhood

by Blinky_Winky_Nod



Category: The Giver Series - Lois Lowry
Genre: Ceremony - The Giver, Gen, Worldbuilding, Written Like an Information Booklet, or something like that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:29:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22766302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blinky_Winky_Nod/pseuds/Blinky_Winky_Nod
Summary: "The yearly Ceremony is the one of most impactful events in the community. It marks the advancement of the youngest age groups, following them from their placement in family units as Ones, through their assignments into community life as Twelves, and later their pairing to a spouse and creation of a family unit as fully-grown adults. "(A description of each year's Ceremony procedure, from the Ones all the way up to the Twelves)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Thank You For Your Childhood

The yearly Ceremony is the one of most impactful events in the community. It marks the advancement of the youngest age groups, following them from their placement in family units as Ones, through their assignments into community life as Twelves, and later their pairing to a spouse and creation of a family unit as fully-grown adults. 

**Preparations**

Like all major community events, extensive preparation is required in order for things to run smoothly. This begins as soon as the previous year’s Ceremony ends. The Elders will decide on the date and time of next year’s Ceremony, and send the schedule to each community establishment within a week. Any necessary adjustments or changes to this schedule can be added later. 

For the next year, the Elders will discuss and debate placements and assignments for the Ceremony. This process is long and laborious, and often nothing is finalized until the final month before the Ceremony. 

As for when the rest of the community begins preparations, it tends to vary, with some occupations such as Nurturers and Birthmothers beginning immediately, and others beginning much later in the year. However, intensive work towards it usually begins a month beforehand. 

The auditorium is thoroughly inspected by the Sanitation crew. Anything broken is fixed, anything requiring an upgrade is noted and sent to the Engineers, and everything is deep-cleaned and freshened up by Ceremony day. 

The younger age groups will begin practicing proper Ceremony behavior after school with the Childcare Workers. Older age groups do not require such a practice, but some of the more rowdy ones may be required to participate as well. 

Dwellings for newly paired spouses are cleaned and furniture is moved in. Family units receiving a newchild will be given a pamphlet detailing their new responsibilities. 

Laborers are assigned to their replacement roles in the community for the duration of the Ceremony. Most of them will be placed in caregiving roles, specifically Birthmother Caregivers, Caretakers of the Old, and Nurturers. Maintenance and Sanitation jobs are then filled up. If necessary, additional laborers can be temporarily transferred from other communities. Alternative holidays for laborers are scheduled for sometime during the following week. 

All releases are completed at least two weeks before the Ceremony begins, and Waste Management crews perform their final cleanup, gathering any large waste objects and driving them out to the landfills just beyond the community borders.

Once all the preparations have been completed, the Ceremony can begin.

**The Ceremony of Matching**

Before the official Ceremony begins, a smaller Ceremony is held for the pairing of compatible males and females as spouses. 

All single adults are seated in the front row of the auditorium. The Chief Elder will read a brief prepared speech, and then begins announcing the pairings. Each male and female paired are called up together, as the Chief Elder tells the audience a bit of insight about the couple - their assignments, their personalities, how they compliment one another. The spouses will then shake hands and return to the audience, now seated together as the next male and female are called to the stage.

Attending this Ceremony is only mandatory for single adults of the community. Family units do not have to arrive until the Ceremony of Ones, though they are still allowed to come early and watch.

After all pairings have been assigned, the Chief Elder will give a congratulatory speech to the new couples, and the adults may disperse throughout the auditorium and wait until the next Ceremony starts.

**Opening Speech**

Once everyone has arrived at the auditorium, the Chief Elder will give a brief opening speech. This summarizes the year’s events and accomplishments, and prefacing some of the Ceremonies to come, before the Ceremony of Ones begins.

**The Ceremony of Ones**

As one of the most important and time-consuming Ceremonies, this one must be completed first. The Nurturers will bring the newchildren in this year’s group out onstage, standing in line in order of each child’s assigned number. 

The Chief Elder will announce the assigned family first, followed by the newchild’s number and name. The family unit will walk onstage, take the child from the Nurturer, then return to their seat. The next family is called up, and the process continues until all newchildren have been assigned. 

Rarely, a replacement child will be assigned. This child is given to a family unit who lost one of their children. They will have both the same name and gender as the lost child, and a small Murmur-of-Replacement Ceremony will be held, as each citizen murmurs the child’s name, beginning softly and slowly growing louder, then finishing off with a round of applause. 

During this time, laborers will move the newchild’s required bed, feeding chair, toys, clothing, a discipline wand, and other accessories into the family’s dwelling. 

**The Ceremony of Twos**

Between the ages of One and Two, children develop quite a bit, and this Ceremony marks the small but necessary life skills they have learned over the past year with a variety of changes.

Accompanied by their mother and father, each new Two is guided onstage and seated in each of the numbered chairs for each age group. 

After the Chief Elder’s speech, each child (or their parents) will hand over their food bibs, pacifiers, and bottles. They will then receive a shirt and pair of pants in place of their old one-piece clothing. The newchild bottles will be replaced with a different bottle, designed with two handles on each side so the child can old it and drink from it on their own. 

By now, most children, if not all, have completed their toilet training and no longer need to wear diapers. These children will be awarded with a pair of cloth underwear at the Ceremony. If not, they will continue until the child is fully ready, and the underwear will be delivered to the family’s dwelling rather than at the next Ceremony. 

Finally, each child is given a new set of toys. These are much more interactive, built to refine the child’s motor skills through play. 

As the Ceremony goes on, Laborers will enter dwellings and replace the clothing and diapers of each new Two with their new sets of shirts and pants as well as their new supply of underwear. Toys will also be removed and replaced. A modification is made to the child’s crib: the front set of bars is removed and replaced with a much shorter set that only takes up half the bed, allowing the child to climb in and out at will. 

**The Ceremony of Threes**

When a child becomes a Three, they begin their earliest years of schooling. Instead of spending the day playing and learning very basic skills from Child Caretakers, the first half of each day will be spent with new group Instructors in a separate classroom at the Childcare Center. Their lessons will mostly focus on further developing proper behavior, learning the rules of the community, and emphasizing the use of precise language. 

Each new Three is taken onstage with their family unit, and they are introduced to their new Instructors. The Chief Elder will begin their speech about this important step in a child’s life, and the parents walk offstage as the Instructors guide the children to the numbered seats. 

Each child is given a name badge, which is pinned to their shirt. This badge states their name, as well as their current age. A new badge is given to the child at every Ceremony. 

Special tied shoes are given out to the children next, which they will learn to put on themselves in the coming year. Females are also given hair ribbons at this age, which they must wear at all times except sleep.

Laborers will enter dwellings to replace the child’s crib with a bed, specially designed to be lower to the floor and easier for the children to get in and out by themselves. 

**The Ceremony of Fours**

The Fours walk onstage along with their Instructor of Threes and seat themselves on their chairs. Their new Instructor of Fours is introduced as their previous Instructor exits. New name badges are handed out as the Chief Elder gives the speech. 

Afterwards, each child is given a new article of clothing: a back-buttoned jacket. These special jackets encourage interdependence and helpful behavior between the children. 

Children will also receive new toys meant to enhance their critical thinking skills, as well as toy sets modeled after life in the community, such as construction work or gardening, giving the their first glimpses into the world beyond the family dwelling. Laborers will place these inside dwellings during the Ceremony, along with new sets of clothes and shoes for children who have outgrown them.

**Midday Break**

After the Ceremony of Fours, all citizens will temporarily leave the auditorium and attend a midday meal in the nearby courtyard. Meanwhile, laborers will perform a quick sanitation check, cleaning up any trash left behind in the auditorium. Once the meal is done, everyone returns to their seats. 

**The Ceremony of Fives**

Fives begin much the same as Fours and Threes: the previous Instructor leads the children onstage, introduces them to their new Instructor, and they all sit down and put their nametag on as the speech is given. 

At Five, children will begin attending the main school building with the older children from now on. They are each given new sets of clothing, these ones designed with coarser fabrics, rather than the soft, loose plush of the younger children’s outfits. A new jacket is given, with special dark fabric on the cuffs and neckline to distinguish them from the other age groups. They are also given a swimming shirt and shorts, as they will begin swimming lessons after school this year. 

A special school bag is handed out to each child, filled with a notebook, a homework folder, and a box of pencils and erasers. After that is a small box of hygiene equipment, containing a larger toothbrush, a bottle of toothpaste, a box of dental floss, a washcloth, a bar of soap, a towel, and a pair of nail clippers. These will be placed in their dwelling bathrooms and used every morning and night. 

The Laborers drop off the additional sets of clothing as well as a new pair of shoes at the child’s dwelling. They also place a study desk in the living room, which the child will use to complete homework and study for tests. The height of the beds is also adjusted to be taller and more natural for the growing child.

**The Ceremony of Sixes**

At Six, physical education and sports are added to a child’s school curriculum. After the traditional Ceremony replacement of Instructor, jacket, and name badges, special exercise clothing is given out to each child to be worn during these lessons, and the swimming clothes given the previous year are returned to be washed and reused later.

New toys are issued as well; more sets based off of assignments in the community. Some older toys are relinquished at this age as well, as the first step in the removal of nonsensical fictitious ideas and the phasing in of more reality-focused play. These are, of course, delivered to dwellings by laborers, along with new clothing and shoes for the year. 

**The Ceremony of Sevens**

The Sevens begin their first step of independence by trading in their back-buttoned jacket for a front-buttoned one. They also receive a cursive workbook they will be using throughout the school year and a pen to use with it. 

The main change at Seven is an additional school subject focused on assignments in the community. Children will visit different establishments and study the different tasks each occupation does, all to prepare for the changes they will experience once they become Eights. 

**The Ceremony of Eights**

Once one becomes an Eight, volunteer work throughout the community begins. Afterschool hours are now spent working in various occupations, as children find what practice suits them best. 

A new front-buttoned jacket is given out, this one with hand pockets and smaller buttons, and a larger school bag for the increased homework load. They also receive a new set of clothing: a tunic and matching pants, similar to those worn by older community citizens.

All toys are relinquished at this age, including the comfort object children have carried with them since birth. These will be removed by laborers during the Ceremony’s events, along with replacing the older clothing sets, removing the discipline wand, and raising the height of the child’s bed once again.

**End of Day 1**

Here, the Ceremony breaks off to be completed the next day. Families return home to eat evening meals and go to sleep for the night. Laborers clean up the auditorium, replacing the smaller chairs onstage with bigger ones for the older children, wiping down the podium and audience seats, and sweeping trash out of the isles. 

**The Ceremony of Nines**

The changes at Nine signify the next step towards independence from the family dwelling. The primary change being the newly issued bicycle, with a back basket replacing the school bag, a nameplate that is replaced each year along with the name badge, and training wheels attached to the back wheel. The new Nines will take these from the front of the auditorium to the bikeports outside, where they will remain for the rest of the day. 

Nines are also given tieless shoes, in place of their laced-up ones. Female Nines also remove their hair ribbons and are instead given the option of using a simple hair elastic instead. 

**The Ceremony of Tens**

At Ten, children receive a haircut, cropping their hair into shorter and more mature styles. Males’ hair is cut up to the ears, and females’ hair is cut halfway between their neck and their shoulders. These haircuts are very quick so as not to waste too much Ceremony time, so parents will have to trim their children’s hair when they return home that evening.

**The Ceremony of Elevens**

Elevens are beginning to learn about the new wonderful changes to their bodies in school, and will receive an individual box of creams and deodorizing materials to use at home. 

Females also receive a new set of underwear to be worn on the top half of their body. Some may have received this before others, and they will be gifted with an extra set at the Ceremony to avoid feeling singled out. Males receive a larger set of trousers to wear along with a new calculator for the upcoming school year. 

**Midday Break**

As before, community citizens leave to have their midday meal in the courtyard while laborers clean up inside. 

**The Ceremony of Twelves**

The final and longest Ceremony of the day, focused specifically on the Twelves new assignments in the community. 

Each Twelve is individually called to the Chief Elder’s podium, as their early childhood, past struggles, and current interests are retold for the audience. Their differences are celebrated by all of the community.

Finally, the Chief Elder announces the Twelve’s assignment, and hands them their new name badge, with their occupation listed in place of their age group. The Chief Elder thanks them for their childhood and the Twelve sits back down. 

The process repeats with each and every child. No one is left out, and the Chief Elder always finds something interesting to talk about with them. 

If a new Receiver of Memory is selected that year, the Elders may have other plans on how they wish to hold the Ceremony. If something unusual or out of the ordinary happens during the assignments, do not speak out. The Elders know what they are doing. 

Once the Ceremony is done, the Chief Elder gives a brief concluding speech to the community, and everyone returns to their dwellings for the evening. The rules for each Twelve’s new assignment are placed inside their bicycle baskets, to be read over later that night.

And thus, the year’s Ceremony comes to a close. The auditorium is cleaned once more, children fall asleep excited of their new school classes the next day, and the Elders begin preparations for the next years Ceremony once again.


End file.
